TRANSITION & TRANSFER PREDICATES

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

In this paper, we would like to share about predicates that have valency more than two. Valency is syntactic relations between verbs with the surrounding elements, including transitive and mastery of the verb argument around it. Example:

·         It’s raining → Valency of zero

·         Liza cries → Valency of one

 

·         Bruce Lie bite Bruce Willis → Valency of two

 

·         The plane flies from Boston To Frankfurt → Valency of three

 

·         He brings the book from Library to his house → Valency of four

 

·         She drives the car from Yorkshire to Devon by Paddington → Valency of five

 

We will explore more details of the last three example on the next chapter which is our main topic; Transition and Transfer Predicates.

CHAPTER II

TRANSITION PREDICATES

Transition Predicates are predicates that express movement (going or coming) from one place to another place.

Example:

·         Squirrel jumps from one tree to another.

Argument₁             Predicate         Argument₂       Argument₃

    Actor                    action               source               goal

 

  Squirrel                    jump               one tree           another

·         Sinichi came to Georgia from Tokyo

Argument₁             Predicate         Argument₂       Argument₃

         Actor                     action                goal               source

 

        Sinichi                     come               Georgia           Tokyo

·         The train goes from Malang to Semarang

Argument₁             Predicate         Argument₂       Argument₃

         theme                    action               source               goal

 

          train                         go                 Malang           Semarang

·         The platoon marched from MPR building to Istana Merdeka

Argument₁             Predicate         Argument₂          Argument₃

         Actor                     action               source                 goal

 

        Platoon                   march         MPR building      Istana Merdeka

·         Jack runs from his school to his house by Victoria park

Argument₁     Predicate     Argument₂        Argument₃       Argument₄

         Actor            action            source                goal                  path

 

          Jack                run              school               house          Victoria Park

·         The package is sent from Saxony to Bangkok over sea

Argument₁     Predicate     Argument₂        Argument₃       Argument₄

         Theme          action            source                goal                  path

 

        Package          send             Saxony            Bangkok              sea

We can generalize the argument structure of transition predicates as below:

Transition predicates

Theme or actor                    source                  goal                     path

Notes:

Theme or actor → noun / pronoun / noun phrases (subject)S

Source                                     usually indicated by “from”

Goal          are optionally → usually indicated by “to”

Path                                        usually indicated by “by”, “over” etc

Movement through space requires time; the theme or actor is in the source at time zero, and in the goal at time plus, meanwhile in the path at sometime between. It’s what then called as a time frame. Example:

         Jensen escaped from California to Texas by Kentucky.

Escape             time 0              sometime between                  Time +

            Actor at California       actor at Kentucky            actor at Texas

In another case, the theme or actor might be in the goal at time minus (-), in the source at time zero (0) and in the goal at time plus (+), example:

                Jared returned to New Jersey from Florida.

Return            time -                          time 0                           Time +

         Actor at New Jersey      actor at Florida                         actor at New Jersey

Common Transition Predicates and its focus:

Focus on Goal :

Get                        [general]

Come         [goal is where speaker or addressee is or will be]

Go             [goal is away from speaker]

Focus on Manner :

Creep         [animate subject; slow movement over surface]

Rotate       [wheel or globe; turns on an axis]

Gallop       [subject is a horse or on a horse, moving at the fastest gait]

Focus on Path :

Drift          [effortless movement in moving water]

Float          [seemingly effortless movement in water or air]

Fall            [source is higher than goal; voluntary movement]

Focus on Cause or Purpose :

Escape       [source is undesirable place]

Emigrate    [as above; source-oriented]

Immigrate  [as above; goal-oriented]

Move is common too, but it’s so general and least marked (unmarked).

CHAPTER III

TRANSFER PREDICATES

Transfer Predicates are the causative of the movement of an entity from one place or person to another place or person.

Example:

·         A thief stole the car from my uncle garage.

Agent                 affected              source

 Thief                       car         uncle garage

·         Romeo gave a bucket of roses to Juliet.

Agent = source                affected               goal

            Romeo                          rose                   Juliet

·         Russel drifted the boat from Venice to Rome by Vatican.

Agent                 affected              source              goal          path

     Russel                     boat                 Venice            Rome       Vatican

·         Chelsea accepted the Trophy of Champion League from FIFA.

goal                    affected              source            

 

    Chelsea                  Trophy                 FIFA          

·         The King banished the rebels from his realm to another land.

Agent                 affected              source               goal

       King                    rebels                 realm           another land

·         The necklace is for Ms. Mapple from Mr. Hastings.

  affected                    goal                     source                

 

        necklace             Ms. Mapple      Mr. Hastings

Argument structure of transfer predicates as below:

Transfer predicates

      agent               affected         source              goal                 path

                                 give                                              receive

  agent = source    affected          goal         goal          affected    source

                                                    

                                                       for

                               affected           goal             source

The frame time of transfer predicates almost similar with time frame of transition predicates. Example:

    Grisham sent a post card from Moscow to Sidney.

  send             time 0                                        Time +

            affected at Moscow                     affected at Sidney

           

    The Pilot flied the plane from Brisbane to Melbourne.

  fly                time 0                                                Time +

        agent + affected at Brisbane             agent + affected at Melbourne

                 Agatha restored the old bicycle to the garage.

 

Restore            time -                        time 0                           Time +

 

               affected at garage        affected at source        affected at garage

Common Transfer Predicates and its focus:

(Act that change location both agent and affected)

Focus on Manner :

drive          [object = vehicle and subject = driver; or object = animal]

drag           [subject moves object over a surface, object is inert]

haul           [transfer in vehicle suggested]

Focus on Goal :

bring          [goal is location of speaker, not necessarily at time of speaking]

take           [goal is not speaker location]

Focus on Aspect :

restore       [object was previously at goal]

(Act that change location of affected only)

Focus on Goal :

push           [object is moved away from original position of agent]

pull            [object is moved toward agent]

Focus on Source :

expel          [agent = person of authority in source]

evict          [as above; source is dwelling, affected is a tenant]

Focus on Path :

     throw          [object moves through air]

     lift              [vertical movement upward]

     raise            [vertical movement upward or into upright position]

     drop            [vertical movement down; may be involuntary]

                                           

 Move is common too, but it’s so general and least marked (unmarked).

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

            All predicates that have a valency of three or more describe the movement of some entity; concrete or abstract. The entity from which the movement originates has the semantic function of source, and the entity which represents the end of movement has the function of goal.

            Predicates of Transition have argument in the roles of theme or actor, source, goal and path though last three are optionally. Predicates of Transfer have the same argument roles plus an agent.

            Time frame of the transition and transfer including time minus (-), time zero (0), time plus (+) and sometime between.